The King and Queen visit Värmland County

The King and Queen in Karlstad, on board the Dalsland. Photo: royalcourt.se

On Thursday 22 August, The King and Queen visited Värmland County.

The King gives a speech on Stora Torget in Karlstad. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/Scanpix

17:05 The King gave a speech, in which he said: "Dear people of Värmland. Your county shows great faith in the future in so many ways, as you already know. It is easy to see why so many people want to live here. Värmland has a strong identity, and you have so much to be proud of."

16:52 The King and Queen arrived at Stora Torget in Karlstad. There, a Värmland party was held featuring musical entertainment from artists including Klara Nilsson and Mattias Pettersson from Värmlänningarna, Wermland Opera's Christer Nerfont and radio talent show winner Vladimir Matiling. A selection of songs was performed with orchestral backing, conducted by Stig Lindell. Malte Hallqvist was the master of ceremonies. After a speech by County Governor Kenneth Johansson, The King gave his county speech to Värmland County.

Photo opportunity at Sandgrund. Photo: royalcourt.se

Lars Lerin and Manoel Marques welcome The King and Queen to the Lars Lerin Art Gallery. Photo: royalcourt.se

16:03 The King and Queen arrived at Sandgrund, where artist Lars Lerin has a gallery. Lars Lerin and Manoel Marques welcomed The King and Queen, and spoke about the gallery. 15:48 The King and Queen boarded the canal boat Dalsland, and were welcomed by guide Ywonne Johansson. The boat is currently in the barge canal. The canal was built to facilitate the transportation of various goods between Lake Vänern and the River Klarälven. The canal was dug out by hand by four hundred soldiers, and was completed in 1883.

The King and Queen at the Slussvaktar café, just before boarding the canal boat. Photo: David Sica/Stella Pictures

15:35 Chairman of the Municipal Executive Board Per-Samuel Nisser welcomed The King and Queen to Karlstad as the coach arrived.

The King and Queen at the ruins of the foundry in Borgvik. The foundry was once part of the ironworks in Borgvik. Photo: royalcourt.se

14:35 The King and Queen arrived at the ruins of the foundry in Borgvik. Sven Erik and Oscar Magnusson sang Anita. Rigmor Gustavsson then performed Imagine, and concluded with Värmland's county song.

14:13 The King and Queen visited the church, where they saw Michael Carowsky's ceiling paintings dating from 1745. These were painted over in 1880, but were restored in 1949. 14:03 During the coach tour of Borgvik, guide Kathrin Lilja Olsen spoke about Borgvik and its history. Borgvik is one of Sweden's best preserved foundry areas, and has a fascinating history. It was here at Borgviksälven (then known as Värma) that the very first Värmlanders settled as the inland ice spread north. Borgvik had already become a centre of population by the 14th century. In winter 1716, King Karl XVII decreed that a church should be built here, and decided on its location. 13:04 Lunch was served at Sliperiet.

At Sliperiet, Benjamin Goss photographs The King and Queen using a camera from 1904. Photo: royalcourt.se

The King and Queen are welcomed to Sliperiet by owner Oscar Magnusson. Photo: royalcourt.se

12:28 The King and Queen arrived at Sliperiet, an art gallery in Borgvik. Owner Oscar Magnusson welcomed the visitors to the gallery. 11:46 Chairman of the Municipal Executive Board Torbjörn Bood then spoke about Grums Municipality. The locality is dominated by forestry in the north, agriculture in the central area and industry alongside Lake Vänern. Culture is important in the municipality, and it is sometimes said that "if three Värmlanders come together in a room, they form a dance band". Music is important here, and the band Sven-Ingvars was formed here. Municipal Chief Executive Annika Lomarker then spoke about the municipality's vision for the best possible municipal development and efforts to encourage the 11,000 inhabitants to become ambassadors for the municipality. The municipality enjoys an excellent location within the county, being close to water, roads, railways and flights. There are many entrepreneurs in the municipality, including a high proportion of women. 11:36 During the coach journey to Grums, the County Governor spoke about the future of the county. Unemployment levels are roughly in line with the national average. Commerce and services are doing well. Sweden features the fastest growing levels of urbanisation in Europe. This is also true in Värmland, where there is significant migration to Karlstad. Old industrial areas are now working to attract new businesses. When it comes to integration, the County Governor wants to do more. One successful project involves giving new Swedes an introduction to rural issues, thereby attracting a workforce and residents to the country. Karlstad University has 18,000 students, and was founded in 1999.

The King visits Forshaga in 1974.

Students from ForshagaAkademin's canine sports school demonstrate canine dressage. Photo: David Sica/Stella Pictures

The King and Queen visit Klarälvsrummet in Forshaga. Photo: royalcourt.se

The River Klarälven. Photo: royalcourt.se

10:26 The King and Queen arrived at Forshaga. Chairman of the Swedish Angling and Fish Conservation Association Joakim Ollén and Regional Director Peter Belin welcomed The King and Queen, and spoke about fishing-related initiatives being carried out. The River Klarälven has Northern Europe's best stock of salmon. This year, there is a focus on increasing children's interest in fishing, and ForshagaAkademin has arranged summer courses. The King and Queen then met some of the many young people studying at ForshagaAkademin.

The Swedish Angling and Fish Conservation Association, Forshaga

The Swedish Angling and Fish Conservation Association is a democratic non-profit organisation. Its main aim is to ensure that good fishing is available in fresh, clean water with a healthy stock of fish. The association runs the Forshagaforsen camping and angling centre, which is located on the shores of the River Klarälven.

ForshagaAkademin

ForshagaAkademin is an upper secondary school that specialises in the nature-based experience industry, offering upper secondary level programmes within angling, game preservation, canine sports and sports commerce.

The King and Queen arrive in Karlstad and Värmland County. Photo: royalcourt.se

10:06 The King and Queen arrived in Karlstad, where they were welcomed by County Governor Kenneth Johansson. During the coach journey to Forshaga, Kenneth spoke about the county and provided a quick overview. Värmland County consists of 16 municipalities, with The King and Queen visiting three of them during the day. Chairman of Forshaga Municipal Executive Board Angelica Rage and Municipal Chief Executive Ingrid Näsström then spoke about Forshaga and its history. Forshaga has long been dominated by the paper industry, but salmon fishing has also been important. Forshaga is located twenty kilometres from Karlstad. The municipality works closely with young influence, including a youth council with its own budget and direct contact with politicians. There is also a focus on young children. For example, there are many playgrounds in the municipality with different themes, such as space or the farmyard, as well as playgrounds for children with disabilities. A key issue for the future is the declining population of the municipality. The population is currently stable thanks to Karlstad University, which attracts many young people to the municipality.

The programme for The King and Queen's visit on Thursday 22 August.

09:45 The King and Queen arrive at Karlstad Airport, and are welcomed to Värmland County by County Governor Kenneth Johansson. 10:20 The King and Queen arrive at Forshaga and Klarälvsrummet. 12:20 The King and Queen visit the Sliperiet art gallery in Borgvik. 12:50 Lunch at Sliperiet. 13:40 A coach tour of Borgvik. 14:10 The King and Queen arrive at the ruins of the foundry in Borgvik. 15:30 The King and Queen arrive at the Slussvaktar café in Karlstad. 15:45 The King and Queen visit the Lars Lerin Art Gallery. 16:45 The King and Queen arrive at Stora Torget in Karlstad. The King gives a speech. The day in Värmland County concludes with dinner hosted by the County Governor at the County Governor's official residence.

County visits 2013

In connection with The King's 40th jubilee, The King and Queen will be visiting all of Sweden's 21 counties during the year.